Breastfeeding - How do I know when it's time for a feeding?

At first, you're going to do a lot of feeding on demand, feeding your baby whenever she's hungry. This could mean up to every two to three hours. Typically, you can expect to breastfeed 8 to 12 times over a 24-hour period.

Feed your baby from each breast for as long as she wants. Alternate the breast you begin with at each feeding. This allows each breast to produce the proper amount of milk at each feeding.

Sometimes babies may want to feed more frequently and for very short periods of time. This is called “cluster feeding” and often occurs in the evening. This may mean your baby is going through a growth spurt. These usually happen around 2 weeks, 4 to 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Let your baby set the pace.